Former draft picks that the Cleveland Browns could be parting ways with ahead of the 2024 NFL season

Building the roster to 90 players is the fun part of the offseason and eventually, the tough part of getting it to 53 becomes real .

When the Cleveland Browns have to make that move in August, it is going to get interesting. Cleveland has not typically cut a ton of their draft picks under general manager Andrew Berry, but they continue to move into a part to where they will need to.

As rosters improve, it gets harder and harder to keep all of your late draft picks, especially from previous years. That could be the case this time around as multiple former draft picks could be on their way out.

WR Michael Woods II

Woods is a 2022 seventh-round pick who had a very limited role as a rookie with five catches and 45 yards. Prior to last season, Woods suffered an Achilles injury that kept him out all of 2023. In limited viewing of him through OTAs, he appears to be in the best shape of his life and he’s every bit of 6-foot-1 and the listed 204 pounds.

Cleveland’s wide receiver room is pretty much made up and Woods’ best chance to bring with the Browns is the practice squad. Missing all of 2023 hurts for sure.

OT James Hudson III

Hudson is no lock to make the team and he will likely be battling Lorenzo Thompson for the spot. In the offseason, the Browns signed Hakeem Adeniji. Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, and Dawand Jones take up three of your tackle spots and add in Adeniji who is four.

Hudson has been able to play both tackle spots and has appeared in 45 games over the last three seasons. But the lack of development is a legitimate question mark. Maybe a new offensive line coach coming in will serve to benefit Hudson. Bill Callahan is great at what he does, but not all players accept the same coaching style.

DT Siaki Ika

It took the Browns a while but they gave Ika a chance late in the season last year and he looked like a guy that did not belong. Despite 100 defensive snaps played, Ika did not record a single statistic and was often blown off the ball. The size and athleticism were a question mark coming in for a reason. Cleveland may give it one more year to see if Ika can adjust to the NFL game but it is no lock. If it comes down to Ika or Maurice Hurst, I think you have to go with Hurst.

DT Jowon Briggs

Briggs is a strong player who is quite intriguing, but there just is no spot for him on the roster. Making the practice squad would be the ideal scenario for Briggs and I am sure that is where he is headed.

DE Isaiah Thomas

Thomas was a seventh-round pick in 2022 who played in 10 games and had one sack. In the preseason last year, he suffered a knee injury and ended up being cut following the surgery and did not play in a game at all. Now healthy again, Thomas is a prime target that Cleveland could look to have on the practice squad. Barring some kind of breakout explosion in his play, the Browns do not have a roster spot for him.

We are just over a couple of weeks away from training camp beginning and the clock is ticking.

Related: Fan favorite among players the Browns could look to give an extension to during the 2024 NFL season